Gambling industry found out the hard way that the house doesn't always win

When it comes to gambling, there is an old saying that the house always wins.

Well, tell that to the Texas gambling industry which bet heavily on losing Texas House of Representatives incumbents and candidates in this year's elections, including Lubbock Republican Delwin Jones.

An interesting report Texans for Public Justice, an Austin group that monitors campaign donations and the lobbying industry in the state, released today shows that combined, seven Indian tribes and gambling political action committees donated nearly $1 million this year. Of that amount about 80 percent went to Democrats, most of whom were clobbered by their Republican opponents.

And though the industry also gave generously to Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus and to other top Republicans, next to Straus its favorite House Republican was Jones who received $13,500 from various gambling interests. Lubbock accountant Charles Perry soundly defeated Jones in the April 13 Republican primary runoff.

In short, "in 2010 the gambling industry made a risky bet against the Republican-dominated House that will control the state’s purse and gambling rules next year," the TPJ report concluded. "But for bad luck, these gamblers wouldn’t have no luck at all."